Call me old fashioned but I wouldn’t trust Laidlaw to open a packet of crisps. Even by the standards of the energy company spivs the fellow reeks of seediness.

Actually, people like him are the best argument I know for renationalising what once belonged to us all anyway. All he seeks of course is to keep politics from preventing his ripoffs – but he’s very anxious to put politics into keeping his unearned profits.

The sooner we are shut of such barrow boys the sooner we might, just might, begin to get some decency in public life.

Renationalise them all and build our own power stations. So it’ll cost money. So what?

Almost nobody I know has a valid argument for allowing these companies to hold us to random. They are all in favour of taking them back. Investor confidence and pension investments re: shares in these companies are tired old nonsense arguments.

Once we have them back we can start providing real high quality engineering apprentiships and equip the next generation with the skills to work in a world that is soon to be plagued by energy shortages.